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Shane Cossette and TRS Industries keep customers covered, improve existing products, and invent new ones
March 1st, 2019
I set aside much of my time to move throughout our building so I can work with managers to keep us on the same page,” says Shane Cossette, COO of TRS Industries, Fargo, N.D. “Something my dad instilled in me years ago was that not only is the customer always right, but it’s our responsibility to […]
Thread technologies breaking through barriers
March 1st, 2019
The future of fabric or any manufactured product boils down to the components that make it up. For fabric that means yarns and threads—the building blocks of fabric possibilities. It’s an exciting time to be a part of yarn and thread innovations—innovations that include conductivity, protection, sustainability and comfort. Imagine that yarns and threads can […]
Paul Aumento relies on employees and customers to keep Creative Textile Solutions a responsive manufacturer
February 1st, 2019
Nova Scotia is a small market and Halifax is a smaller city compared to some others, so we’ve had to diversify to continue a successful year-round employment,” says Paul Aumento, co-owner and president of Creative Textile Solutions Ltd., Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. “So we expanded our markets right away to include whatever can be manufactured […]
Melynda Norman-Lee brings tented events to life, continuing a tradition of success at JJL Events Inc.
January 1st, 2019
"When I work on challenging projects I see the possibilities, not the restrictions,” says Melynda Norman-Lee, event project manager for J J L Events, Toronto, Ont., Canada. “I start visualizing the final outcome when I first start talking with the client. If I haven’t captured that vision from the beginning, I won’t be able to […]
Going the distance: Rob Kotowski rebuilds the family business
December 1st, 2018
"We don’t anticipate that the completion of a project is the last time we talk with our clients,” says Rob Kotowski, owner and president of Lake Shore Boat Top Co., St. Clair Shores, Mich. “We typically follow up with them a couple of weeks after they’ve taken delivery of their projects to make sure they’re […]
A commitment to growth: Don Alhanati uses automation and lean manufacturing to ensure market diversity and growth for CustomFab USA
November 1st, 2018
One of the keys to our success is our investment in advanced automated equipment,” says Don Alhanati, founder and president of CustomFab USA in Garden Grove, Calif. “That, and the fact that we have a creative staff. We are always looking at ways to do things smarter.” Alhanati had worked 12 years at a manufacturing […]
Performance finishes for performance textiles
October 1st, 2018
Perhaps the people who develop textile finishings by coating or laminating could best be described as the unsung problem solvers—superheroes, even—of the textile performance world. Do they wear capes? Maybe they should—textile capes finished with performance-enhancing treatments. Problem solving is the basis of their work, as they treat textiles to enhance performance, in response to […]
Riding the pendulum of industry change: Awnings by Bigley and Hogshire
October 1st, 2018
"We have to be diverse and knowledgeable about the various types of products people are making in the industry,” says Taylor Bigley, co-owner and president of Awnings by Bigley & Hogshire, Hampton Roads, Va. “What’s in demand changes—the pendulum swings each way—and we have to react to it.” The roots of Awnings by Bigley & […]
Nonwovens in the automotive industry
September 1st, 2018
"I just want to say one word to you. Just one word. Plastics.” When Dustin Hoffman’s character Benjamin Braddock heard those words in the iconic movie The Graduate in 1967, the use of plastics—or polymer-based materials—was on the rise. (This, although plastics had been around for almost 100 years; the first synthetic polymer was invented […]
Harold Warner and Dynamic Air Shelters develop larger and tougher inflatable structures
September 1st, 2018
"I love the word resilience,” says Harold Warner, majority owner and president of Dynamic Air Shelters in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. “Whether you’re operating on a physical plane or a psychological plane, resilience enables you to deflect danger and harm. What our company has done is expand and elevate the state of inflatable resilience in response to […]